Changes made to Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup handicapping

Racing Victoria has today announced a change in policy around the re-handicapping of the Caulfield Cup winner in the Melbourne Cup.

The Racing Victoria handicapping panel announced today that the winner of the Caulfield Cup will not be re-handicapped in the Melbourne Cup if they have already been allocated 56kg or more.

Furthermore, should the winner of the Caulfield Cup be weighted at less than 56kg in the Melbourne Cup, the quantum of any penalty issued will not take the weight of the horse higher than 56kg on the first Tuesday in November.

Greg Carpenter, Racing Victoria Executive General Manager – Racing, said that potential weight penalties had discouraged Melbourne Cup hopefuls from running in the Caulfield Cup.

“There has been much debate around the impact the prospect of a weight penalty in the Melbourne Cup has had in dissuading connections from competing in the Caulfield Cup, and our analysis shows that there is indeed evidence to support this.”  Carpenter said.

“In announcing today’s change of policy, I want to ensure that people understand that any horse given 56kg or more in the Melbourne Cup will by definition already have a well-established performance profile.”

Hartnell, Almandin, Admire Deus and Humidor are all nominated for both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups and have been allocated 56kg or more for the 2017 Melbourne Cup.